A Toolkit to Prepare for PWB Week 2022
Help raise awareness about women in the residential construction industry by celebrating PWB Week. These tools will help you spotlight the work and achievements of women in our industry. Use the suggested council activities to plan your week and be sure to click on the daily list of tasks below. View sample social media posts for the week.
Your PWB Week Daily Tasks
Suggested Council Activity: All PWB Councils are invited to share how you are demonstrating the residential construction industry as a viable career path for the next generation. Submissions will be shared by NAHB PWB on Monday, Sept. 12.
To participate, submit the following information to womeninbuilding@nahb.org by Aug. 18.
- Name of Council
- No more than two action photos and one group photo
- Activity Name (if not self-evident in the description)
- Description (e.g., Building bird houses with fifth graders) in 10 words or less
Join the Shop Talk: Sparking Future Generation’s Interest in the Trades at 2 p.m. ET. Join the meeting
The lack of skilled workers is a huge challenge for the residential construction industry. What are you and the members of your local home builders associations and councils doing to help develop the next generation of workers? Learn strategies from Jeffrey Smith, Executive Officer of the Greater Tulsa Home Builders Association; Steph Reed, member of the HBA of Des Moines; and Kristin Marzarella, PWB leader and YP Member from the Shore Builders Association of Central New Jersey. Learn how they bring HBA members together with public/private schools, vocational technology centers, career training partners, students, parents and guidance counselors in their community to solve this issue. Join PWB for this conversation to engage more young people in our industry. The conversation will be moderated by Carrie DeWeese, Chinowth & Cohen Realtors, 2022 NAHB PWB Professional Development Subcommittee Chair.
Social Media: Join PWB by posting photos of how your council or HBA is engaging the next generation of the residential construction labor force. Remember to use hashtags #PWBWeek and #PWBProud.
Suggested Council Activity: Learn more about the real-life tradeswomen and PWB members involved in The House That SHE Built by reading The House that She Built book to children.
Attend the Webinar: Inspiring Women in the Trades.
Hear from leading tradeswomen including a master electrician, an experienced HVAC professional, and a general contractor, as they discuss the status of women in the industry as well as how to increase the presence of and be an ally to women in the trades.
Register to attend or to receive more information.
Social Media: Highlight women in the trades:
- I support women in the trades – PWB Council/NAHB Members are invited to share stories or images about how you support women in the trades by hiring them as business partners.
- I AM a tradeswoman – Post a photo of yourself at work – who you are and what you do.
- Remember to use the hashtags #PWBWeek and #PWBProud.
Suggested Council Activity: Councils and individuals can highlight women making an impact on the industry with NAHB PWB Week templates that includes photo, name, company, position, title and a short quote. Members and Councils can highlight their own PWB members or recognize past leaders. Remember to use the hashtags #PWBWeek and #PWBProud.
Suggested Council Activity: Councils should highlight women leaders in their council. Remember to use the hashtags #PWBWeek and #PWBProud.
Join the Shop Talk: How to Prioritize Diversity in the Residential Construction Industry at 2 p.m. ET. Join the meeting.
Discuss real world strategies to implement in your workplace to prioritize diversity. Chat with two industry experts that have developed strategies for a combined 20 years and share what has worked for you. Amy James Neel, Workforce and Contracting Equity Manager Portland Community College and Dr. Charner Rodgers, Development Director – Business Diversity at McDonald’s and Vice Chair of the NAHB Student Chapters Advisory Board. This conversation will be moderated by Juli Bacon, President JB Consulting and 2017 NAHB PWB Chair.
Suggested Council Activity: PWB is capitalizing on the social media trend, “They understood the assignment,” which praises a person or group who goes above and beyond.
PWB Members are asked to download the NAHB PWB Week branded PowerPoint slide, highlight their council’s top activities during the past year, and post on their social media platforms on Friday.
Recognize the founders of your local councils. Have your members share, “What does PWB mean to you?” Or why are you #PWBProud?
Network with NAHB Professional Women in Building members through Facebook and LinkedIn.
Remember to use the hashtags #PWBWeek and #PWBProud.
More Tips and Tools
- Use PWB Week marketing and advertising materials to quickly alert your audience that you will celebrate women in the industry at all levels Sept. 12-16.
- Pitch PWB Week to your local media with these media resources.
- Read and share news articles that promote and elevate women in the industry.
- Learn more about The House That SHE Built with the Building Me activity guide.
- Select a woman or women to honor at an industry event.
- Amplify your PWB Week activities on social media using the hashtags #PWBProud and #PWBWeek. This will help you reach a wider audience through social platform searches.
- Update your HBA’s website and social media profiles during PWB Week with PWB Week graphics.
- Watch these webinars featuring female leaders in the home building industry. They share strategies they used to become successful at their trade.
- Share NAHBNow blog posts related to women on your social media channels. In the search field, type “women” or “pwb” to access the content.
- Create a housing forum to specifically examine and discuss the state of women in housing. Invite members of your HBA, members of your residential construction community and the media.
- Familiarize yourself with industry stats on women in construction.
Take PWB Week to the Next Level All Week Long
- Plan a virtual day with the Girl Scouts and teach them building skills like painting, plastering or tile grouting.
- Work with NAHB Student Chapters who have developed resources for teachers to use for construction, construction management, shop, technology, and physical science classes.
- Invite NAHB Student Chapter members or local high school students interested in construction to shadow a builder for a day. Take plenty of photos and share them on your social media platforms and include the hashtags #PWBProud and #PWBWeek.
- The HBA of Greater Des Moines developed an Activity Book to promote the skilled trades to elementary school students and educators. Consider coordinating with an elementary school or local library to share it with young children.
- Review NAHB’s workforce development education and training models and samples for a roadmap on how to teach to students to build a tiny house.
Continue the Celebration of Careers in Construction
October is officially Careers in Construction Month. Find resources to help increase awareness about opportunities available in the skilled trades at nahb.org/careersmonth.